Eblan

The Kingdom of Eblan As of 42 WR

Land

Eblan is a large island in the south of Crystal. It is either the largest island or the smallest continent in the dimension. Eblan has a mountainous interior, and so most of the population is concentrated on the coastal plains. The southern shore has many reefs and shallows. There are also some small island chains that the Kingdom also claims, although it lost some of these as a result of the Three Week War with Mysidia.

Population

Eblan has the largest population in Crystal. The population’s concentration near the coastal plain causes several problems with overcrowding. Eblan’s population is about 98 percent human; dwarves are the most common non-human race. Although non-human species have the same legal status as humans, widespread social discrimination exists, particularly against muls (half-human, half-dwarfs). Native Eblanese humans are a of the Xsian ethnic type, like the humans of Fabul and some Mysidians, and the two groups trace a common ancestry back to an ancient empire in Crystal.

Eblan experienced a population spike during the Great War when many refugees fled from the Transbaron. These recent immigrants (the so-called “Provisionals”) comprise about a quarter of the country’s population. Most of these are drawn from various Transbaron stocks.

Religion

Most native Eblanese are Lunarist. Lunarism is a religion based around the worship of the Moon Goddess Seliane. Its principle tenets are striving for purpose and harmony, and attempting to attain excellence in the religion’s principle virtues (Courage, Industry, Discipline, Piety, Wisdom, Respect, and Perseverance). Lunarism strongly believes in a divine plan; people and things are meant to fulfill their goal or purpose (in Eblanese, mokuteki). The country is strongly linked with the religion, and the King is considered a direct line descendent of Seliane. The royalty is more or less at the top of a harmonious, ordered society.

The Provisionals brought their own religions, and so the majority of Provisionals are Tahranist. Tahranism’s main deity is the God of Light, Tahran. The religions of Light and Moon have a longstanding rivalry in the dimension, and so the presence of a Tahranist colony is irksome to some Eblanese. A small but increasing number of native Eblanese have also converted to Tahranism, inspired by the feats of the Paladins Templar. (The Templar accept many religions, including Lunarists, but the leadership is dominated by Tahranists). Tahran is associated with knowledge and science, and it is more focused on debate and discussion as a means to increase knowledge. (As opposed to Lunarism, where the virtues are more or less handed to you and mokuteki is pre-ordained in the divine plan.)

The Paladins Templar also bear mentioning here, located as they are in Eblan. The Templar are an religious order of holy knights who have dedicated their lives to fighting evil. To join the Templar, one must overcome an Ordeal on Mt. Ordeals, (in Mysidia) to purge all evil from their bodies. The Templar are actually an offshoot of the Paladins of Baron, but by opening their arms to non-Tahranist faiths their numbers have swelled. Though not associated with the Eblanese government, the operate in Eblan with the King’s approval.

Magic

Traditional Crystalese white mages, black mages, and sages have a rough time in Eblan these days because of tensions with the Mysidian Commonwealth. These mages are required to register their abilities with the government. Callers, on the other hand, have enjoyed high status in Eblan since the time of Queen Rydia. Most magic users in Eblan are callers. Callers are able to summon powerful beasts known as espers to do battle for them. It is one of the most powerful and taxing of all magical traditions. Ninjitsu is rumored to include superhuman feats of magic, but since ninjas are extremely secretive, this is not known for sure, and the true extent of this practice in Eblan is unknown.

Economy

Eblan boasts an advanced industrialized economy, one of the most prosperous in Crystal. However, much of Eblan’s economic growth is the result of foreign investment. The largest private employer in the country is the Tasnica-based Kuat Consortium. Kuat Aerospace built several large plants on the west coast to take advantage of the Provisional workforce; the city of Nairobum grew around this. Even Eblan’s homegrown businesses, like Goho Studios (makers of Superzilla), receive most of their business from contracts from foreign corporations. Most native Eblanese businesses tend to be focused in light industry, making parts and components to be used by other corporations. The country’s best-known export products are animation and monster movies, but aerospace (through Kuat Aerospace) and seacraft (through S-K-owned Spruance Watercraft) provide many manufacturing jobs. In both cases the plants in Eblan tend to be geared more towards civilian craft, the corporations preferring to keep their military production in more secure locations in Tasnica. The interior mountains generally provide adequate raw resources for this kind of work. Although Tasnica is Eblan’s largest trading partner, trade with the other nations of Crystal has increased every year since the Quorsen Clauses. Notable imports include furniture from Toroia and magilyte from Damcyan. (Eblan has small domestic production of magilyte; that combined with its Damcyanese imports are adequate for its needs. It is nowhere near the magilyte hog that Tasnica is.) Despite a thriving fishing industry, Eblan is dependent on food imports to sustain its crowded population. Fabul provides a large amount of Eblan’s agricultural needs. The immigrant population is in a strange position. Many of Eblan’s richest people are Provisionals who rose to high positions in foreign corporations; at the same time, Provisionals as a class live in poverty. Still, Eblan’s economy would not be as good as it is without the influx of Provisionals to give the much-needed labor surplus for industrialization to flourish.

Law

Eblanese law recognizes three different social classes, and legal rights and privileges vary with class. These classes are Provisionals, Citizens, and Nobles. A Provisional is an immigrant, or direct offspring of an immigrant. A Citizen’s family must be able to trace its roots back in Eblan at least three generations. (That is, the grandchild of the person who originally immigrated counts as a citizen). The nobility are the family members of any of the nobles houses, many of whom can trace their roots back millennia. Some of the special privileges of the nobility are also afforded those in service to the nobility. The majority of Eblanese are full-fledged Citizens. The Decree of Popular Good (proclaimed by King Edge Eblana VIII in 33 WR) affords the common citizen a fair degree of individual rights. However, the section of the decree dealing with these rights is far less bold and sweeping than some other guarantees of individual rights (such as the Code of Belgememnon); there is a great deal more ambiguity and flexibility as regards the government’s powers. Thus, although there is a free press, certain material deemed seditious is banned (mostly communist material). Additionally, there is a gap between the law and the way society really works, particularly in the area of discrimination. Although both sexes, all races, and all religions are considered equal before the law, anyone not human, male, and Lunarist is bound to suffer from a certain degree of social discrimination. Still, although Eblan is far from (say) a Tasnican standard of rights, its human rights record is vastly cleaner than (for example) the Esper Union. A Citizen also has the right to a moderate-sized welfare state. Eblan has substantial unemployment benefits, national health insurance, and public education, including college and technical school for those who qualify. Citizens do not have access to publicly-funded housing; most public housing complexes are built for the benefit of Provisionals and are located in the west. Provisionals do have the right to public housing, but most of it is in various states of disrepair (in many of these the government cannot even maintain a police presence, much less good housing). Provisionals who are unemployed do receive a government welfare check. However, Eblan’s national health insurance does not cover Provisionals, and hospital facilities in poor Provisional areas (such as the city of Hope) tend to be shoddy. Any Provisional desiring a college or technical education will need to pay for it himself. Provisionals are, generally, much more on their own than a Citizen. (Tasnican analysts have pointed to this as the reason the Provisionals have a good amount of economic dynamism). Technically, Provisionals have a standard of rights equivalent to a Citizen’s, but in practice this is not the case. This is particularly true in the area of privacy. According to the law, the police must have a warrant to search a house. However, the homes of Provisionals are regularly searched without warrants. Provisionals are also subjected to a clear double-standard in cases of police brutality. It should be noted that given all of this, many Provisionals are better off than other parts of Crystal, such as southern Damcyan or the poorest parts of Fabul. Perhaps this is why many Provisionals stay. Perhaps it is also because that having to leave everything behind and start totally fresh was traumatic enough the first time. Nobles have many privileges not available to the other classes. For example, they are the only class with the right to bear arms (a right extended to anyone in the service of a noble). They have their own, separate court, which absolves the nobleman of wrongdoing in all but the most extreme cases. Most significantly, the noble houses pay no taxes. Most of them retain substantial lands; some noble houses have used this clause in the law to prosper by leasing their land to others to develop. The national agency charged with stamping out sedition and terrorist activities is Eblanese Internal Security (EIS, or Eyes). Although Eyes has several extralegal powers of surveillance, it is not nearly as oppressive as its Esperian counterpart (E-CID). Also worth mentioning here is the growing crime syndicate known as the yakuza. The yakuza traffic in gambling, drugs, prostitution and other illicit activities. (Prostitution is legal in Eblan only for licensed geisha; it is a professional class, and being licensed is comparable to being admitted to the bar for a lawyer. Their services command a high fee. The yakuza’s illegal prostitutes are cheaper.) Drug smuggling from the nearby Tasnican colony of Simmons (Crystal II) is a primary activity of the yakuza. More or less united under Yue Okusan, the yakuza operate in several Crystal nations and have begun to expand their activities across the Web.

Government

Eblan’s government is a strange cross between the old feudal order and an emerging democracy. The nobility, and the heads of the nobles houses (or daimyo) still have substantial power and influence. The democratically-elected Diet, however, is host to steadily increasing legislative and executive powers. However, the core of the entire system remains the King. The nobles still swear fealty to him, and, according to the language of the decade-old Decree of Popular Good, the Diet meets at the King’s request, and its powers are taken to be a delegation of royal power. In theory, the King is supposed to focus on “big picture” issues and leave the minutiae and technical details of governance (for example, budgets) to the Diet. Whether or not this will work would vary from King to King, but so far Edge Eblana VIII is the only Eblanese King to rule under this system and so far he has kept to this notion of how it ought to operate. However, some conflict is inevitable, as the Diet and the King have nebulous and somewhat overlapping spheres of power. The Diet is elected through a system of proportional representation. That is, every three years elections are held for the whole Diet, and Eblanese mark their ballot for a particular party rather than a particular candidate. Then, the percentage of votes for each party is used to determine the number of seats that party receives in the Diet. (The Diet has 1000 seats total). Thus, in the last election, the Hemocrats received 67.8 percent of the vote and were accorded 678 seats in the Diet, which makes them the ruling party. (If a party has less than fifty percent of the Diet, it must negotiate with other parties to form a ruling coalition consisting of at least half the Diet.) A party must receive at least 10 percent of the vote to be represented in the Diet, a new rule which led to the end of several of Eblan’s smaller parties. The term for a member of the Diet is a Chancellor, underscoring that, in theory, they are summoned to assist the King. It should be noted that this system gives party leadership incredible power, because it is they who decide the slate of candidates. Every election, all parties release a list of 1000 names, ranked 1 to 1000, saying who would get a seat in the Diet if the party received that number of seats. Since the party leaders draw up this list, they are free to kick anyone who crosses them out of the party. Thus the Eblanese Diet has many fewer mavericks willing to buck the party line than some other systems. The head of the majority party is accorded to title of Archchancellor, who is responsible for organizing and managing the top echelons of Eblan’s bureaucracy as he sees fit (subject to royal approval). These include the various prefects that are responsible for local governance in the country; in some areas, certain noble houses maintain a “perpetual appointment” for their daimyo; some houses are rewarded with additional lands if their governance is particularly effective. It should come as little surprise that the nobility are usually on the short list for appointments to important posts. The only office that the Archchancellor does not appoint is the commander of Eblan’s military forces, the Shogun. The Shogun is still chosen by the King himself. Primary responsibility for foreign affairs still lies with the King. It also should be noted that, even for most Provisionals, the King embodies the nation in a way the leaders of the Diet do not. When the King talks, people listen.

Internal Politics

Eblanese internal politics are often fractious, leading some to wonder if the country can continue to stay together. Part of this is due to the multiple centers of power. Some nobles are irritated and the whole concept of the Diet, and some of the leaders of the Diet want more democratization, including an end to the monarchy. In addition, there is the increasing cleavage between Eblan’s immigrants (the Provisionals) and Eblan’s full-blooded citizens. Even as a small handful of Provisionals attained great wealth, they are aware that they are second-class citizens and that most of their kind live in abject poverty. More traditionalist elements worry that this large foreign influx will eventually destroy Eblan’s unique cultural identity. House Kurita has become emblematic of traditionalist elements, however it always shown a willingness to embrace the tools of the present to further its traditionalist agenda. Through developing their lands they have become one of the most wealthy nobles Houses; when the Diet was formed, rather than reject it, the Kuritas opted instead to play the democracy game by founding the Hemocrat party. The Hemocrats with 678 seats have become the largest party in the Diet, having consolidated the traditionalist factions while the progressive vote remains split. The head of House Kurita is the leader of the Hemocrats and the Archchancellor of the Diet, Tahi Kurita. Many of the nobles who support the Diet at all support the Hemocrats. The party’s motto is “Eblan for Eblanese” and the principle goal of the party is to protect the cultural identity of the nation. Some of these goals, such as patronage for Eblanese art and traditions such as sumo, seem reasonable. Every once in a while, however, some members of the Hemocrats will make demands that seem silly, such as the (defeated) proposition to prevent Eblanese women from dying their hair. (It is popular among young women in Eblan to put blonde highlights in their hair.) The most contentious proposals of the Hemocrats are those dealing with the status of Provisionals; they want to make it tougher to be an Eblanese citizen. The main proposal on the board for doing this is adding an ethnic requirement that all Provisionals must be half Xsian to become citizens. As the King has been less than enthusiastic about this proposal, the Hemocrats have not introduced it. The Hemocrats are also the most hawkish of the three parties, both as a practical matter of defending the nation and as a way to kindle public spirit in the country. It should be noted that Provisional votes only count for half, and voting is discouraged among women. These factors have contributed to a Hemocrat strength that does not accurately reflect the Eblanese electorate. If women voted more, and Provisional votes counted for full, New Horizon and the Party of Democratic Socialism would both have many more seats than they have. (Provisionals themselves are not allowed to be members of the Diet.) The largest opposition party in the Diet is the New Horizon Party, led by Isobishi Hanwerker. It has 212 seats. Hanwerker is the first member of his family to be accorded the status of citizen; his grandparents moved to Eblan from Tasnica well before the Great War. The New Horizon party sees itself as the ideological kin of Tasnica’s Conservatives. They are eager to bring Tasnica’s brand of libertarian democracy to Eblan. They bemoan the growth of the welfare state, but the more important issue is to strip the nobility of power and give equal rights to Provisionals. Of the three parties in the Diet, the New Horizon party is the most vocal advocate of Provisional rights. They seem to say that if Eblan just became more like Tasnica, all of the country’s problems would be solved. (The Hemocrats worry that Tasnican-style cosmopolitanism would mean death for the cultural essence of the nation.) Their first priority is to give Provisionals equal votes, as such a move would add many seats to New Horizon’s strength in the Diet. Also high on New Horizon’s list is tightening up the Decree of Popular Good’s standard of rights to make individual rights more ironclad. The other opposition party is the Party of Democratic Socialism, which holds 110 seats and is headed up by Izumi Kenzeburo. They are advocates of increasing the size and scope of the welfare state. Rhetorically, they also support the cause of Provisional rights, but in practical terms they know the Kingdom cannot afford to extend the same level of benefits to Provisionals that it does to Citizens, especially given the recent military build-up. This, along with some sympathy for the dream of utopian socialism, makes the PDS the most dovish of the major parties. In the last electionscycle, the major parties agreed to ban the Greater Eblan party (Fascists) and the People’s Revolutionary Party (communists). The Greater Eblan party largely joined the Hemocrats. The PRP went underground, to plot the revolution. When this revolution came, however, it was not a bang but a whimper. In the March 16th Incident, PRP leader Ichiro Mitsuhama, assisted by an agent of S/31, seized control of Eblana Royale’s airport intent on flying in reinforcements from Mysidia. The coup was crushed, and Ichiro was put in prison. The PRP is in disarray, and the coup has caused the nation to rely behind the King to fight communism. The noble houses also have their own political machinations. Currently, House Kurita is on top. Besides Archchancellor Tahi Kurita, Nauquan Kurita is Deputy for Military Affairs, second in command to the Shogun. House Kurita was wealthy enough to equip its own battlesuit regiment, the Junsui no Rikugun (Force of Purity), which, in grand feudal fashion, they offered to the King’s service. House Mitsuhama, suffering from a twofold disgrace of being headed by a woman and being associated with the recent coup, is currently down. Another prestigious house is House Shiawese; its daimyo is also Shogun, and the only daughter of the house, Sakura, is head of Eblan’s MAC delegation.

Foreign Politics

A recent observation might lead one to conclude that Eblan has no foreign policy, only domestic politics. Certainly King Edge’s abandonment of the Kingdom’s historical pacifism to pursue an anticommunist agenda has served to re-unite a fractured nation. The Eblanese are beginning to view themselves as a bulwark against further communist aggression in the Crystal dimension; their main enemy is the Mysidian Commonwealth, backed by the Scandian League. There is also the desire to avenge the honor of the Kingdom after the humiliating defeat in the Three Week War. This policy of anticommunism has led Eblan to join CANTO, an international alliance formed to contain the Communist Protectorate. Historically, Eblan’s closest ally has been the Tasnica Republic. Given the close trade ties between the two countries, it is not surprising that they would have a close political relationship. However, the Tasnicans did not send military aid to Eblan in the Three Week War, citing the attack on Mysidia itself as evidence the Eblanese were the aggressors. Since then, the King has made overtures to Guardia, securing space fleet aid from their colony on Defiance, and the Esper Union, receiving military aid. Edge seems to desire a degree of independence from the great powers, not relying on one in particular. The Tasnicans, concerned about falling out of favor, have allowed arms sales to the Kingdom to continue despite the protests of Mysidia. With its large population, prosperous economy, and swelling military, it is inevitable that Eblan will have a large role to play in regional politics. Although they accepted Toroia’s Quorsen Clauses, how they respond to additional initiatives from Tally Quorsen remains to be seen. Eblan is also increasingly alarmed by the strange goings-on in the traditional leader of the dimension, Baron. Certainly the Kuritas advocate Eblan replacing Baron as the dimensional hegemon; it is unknown if the King agrees, or, indeed, if Eblan even has the capacity to do so.

Military

The military of Eblan is the Eblanese Kingdom Armed Forces (EKAF), commanded by the Shogun, Tiberius Shiawese. Shiawese is getting old, but he is a veteran of the Great War and served in the Grand Army. Some people think he is getting senile, but in reality it is just an act. EKAF is divided into the Royal Army and the Royal Navy. Air power is a branch of the Royal Army. Eblan has no space fleet of its own. The Three Week War has caused several important reforms, and also a large military buildup. With 22 regiments, EKAF is much smaller than the militaries of the great powers but large for a second-tier country. Women are not allowed to serve in EKAF in any capacity except nurses. The Royal Army has two-tier system: the Territorial Army and the Mobile Corps. The Territorial Army is so-called because its priority is defense, and it is mustered out of a compulsory service lottery divided by prefect. (Territorial Army regiments, therefore, are named for the district, eg “Eblana Royale District”, etc.). Only citizens are subject to the Draft. After the disastrous experience with the conscript army in the Three Week War against Scande’s volunteer force, the Territorial Army was stripped of much of its equipment and relegated to a reserve force of motorized infantry. Territorial Army regiments lack artillery, aircraft, and battlesuit support, and they rely on heavy trucks rather than APCs for transport. They are increasingly seen as an auxiliary force. (Eblan’s two-tiered approach is modeled on Tasnica’s approach, with a well-equipped, well-trained main force (the Republic Marine Corps in Tasnica and the Mobile Corps in Eblan) and a cheaper, emergency auxiliary force (for Eblan, the Territorial Army; in Tasnica, the National Militia). It should be noted that one of the main differences is that in Tasnica both branches are volunteer, but the National Militia is only part-time.) The Mobile Corps consists of twelve regiments, four infantry, four LAV, and four Armor. The Mobile Corps’ main distinction is that is a volunteer force; people wishing to join sign on for ten-year terms. Service in the Mobile Corps is open to Provisionals; they receive their citizenship after two ten-year terms. The Mobile Corps’ equipment is mainly Kuat-built, but they are well-equipped. The infantry have Alpha Assault rifles, use Weasal APCs for transport, and are well supported with Lugar artillery and Banshee VTOLs. The Eblanese hope to secure some Esperian LCVs to supplement the Kuat Bobcts of the LAV regiments. The Mobile Corps armor regiments are built around mecha. Eblan uses corporate built and designed mecha (mostly Kuat Enforcers). A mecha pilot is given a lottery number based on their skill to choose which mecha they wish to pilot. The Kuat Erinyes is the most prized; the Kuat Enforcer is the most common. (It should be noted this system tends to assign the worst pilots to the scout types, a possible flaw.) A spirit of samurai honor (bushido) has been rekindled in the Mobile Corps, particularly among the mecha forces. Mobile Corps officers carry samurai swords. The Eblanese Royal Navy suffered a catastrophic defeat in the Three Week War. Although much of the army retreated and was saved, the navy had no such luck. Realizing the importance of sea power to an island nation, the Eblanese have focused on rebuilding quickly with many cheaply-built missile frigates. Many of Eblanese ships are suffering from serious problems because they are rush jobs. There are a handful of larger ships to act as flagships. The Royal Navy’s focus is increasingly on amphibious operations, and several specialized amphibious assault ships are due to enter service in this role. The Junsui no Rikugun (Force of Purity) are the army raised by House Kurita and given to the service of the King. Under the old feudal system, nobles would raise troops and use them to serve the King, but modern weapons proved too expensive for such a thing to happen. Only House Kurita so far has demonstrated the ability to pay for such a force, and the Junsui number as an overstrength regiment. The Junsui are independent of EKAF, and are commanded by Nauquan Kurita. The standards for joining the Junsui are very high; even enlisted men must have a college degree, or prior service in the Grand Army. There are also ethnic standards for joining; those in the Junsui must not only be of pure Xsian blood, they must conform to the Xsian ideal. Because the Junsui no Rikugun is a “spiritual army, devoted the defense of the pure essence of the Eblanese nation” its members are even more devoted to the Samurai ideal than members of the Mobile Corps. This is taken to such an extreme that they largely eschew guns and other projectile weapons. The main piece of equipment for Junsui soldiers is the Ha Otoko (“Bladed Man”) battlesuit, an armoured an exoskeleton with large forearm vibroblades. The Ha Otoko also allows for enhanced sprints and jumps. They are fanatically loyal to House Kurita and the King. Officially, Eblan’s primary intelligence agency is the Eblanese Intelligence Bureau (EIB). Unofficially, the King receives most of his intelligence from his network of ninja spies. Eblan also has an intelligence-sharing agreement with the Tasnica Republic.

People

Edge Eblana VIII The King of Eblan. 29 years old. Believed by some followers of Lunarianism to be a direct line descendent of the Moon Goddess Seliane. He has a young son named Erel and a young daughter named Nona by his wife, the Queen Esayla. The Queen is the daughter of a minor Hyrule noble. Edge is extremely concerned with keeping the country together, and much of his maneuverings and machinations are built around maintaining the monarchy and national unity. He succeeded his father, King Tsurao III, and quickly moved to reform the government of the country with the Decree of Popular Good. Limited democratization was seen as a ‘pressure release valve’ for revolutionary activities.

Shinobi Ninja Master to House Eblana. House Eblana became the dominant noble house after the breakup of Xsia through their excellent ninjas. Tall, thin, mysterious. Fights in the traditional House Eblana style with paired kodachi. Also serves as the King’s personal spymaster.

Ying Mina Another ninja in service to House Eblana. Ying Mina is a young lady, whose weapon of choice is laser fans.

Yang Mina Ying Mina’s brother, and another ninja serving the King.

Ichiro Mitsuhama Leader of the People’s Revolutionary Party, and therefore the head of Eblanese communism. Ichiro was heir to a great noble house, but when he was young a shipwreck brought him into contact with the harsh conditions Eblanese Provisionals live in. At first he was content to advocate reform, and was briefly placated by the Decree of Popular Good. However, he progressively became more radical, and soon would not be content unless the whole system was overthrown. He formed an underground movement and prepared for the revolution. However, his revolt came not with a bang but a whimper. In the March 16th Incident Ichiro and some of his followers attempted to seize an airport in Eblana Royale and fly in reinforcements from communist Mysidia. The attempt failed miserably, and Edge used evidence of Mysidian assistance to repudiate the treaty that ended the Three Week War and begin re-armament. Ichiro is currently imprisoned (it is enshrined in law that the King cannot execute a noble.)

Seiji Kyuzo Faithful retainer to house Mitsuhama. Sworn to protect Ichiro. Ichiro doesn’t much appreciate the feudal obligation. Kyuzo is an expert in the traditional weapon of House Mitsuhama, the No Daichi.

Yamana Mitsuhama House Mitsuhama is in the unusual position of being run by a woman. Yamana is Ichiro’s mother. Ichiro is the only son of the daimyo (Yamana does not have the title daimyo), but his dishonorable actions have caused him to be disinherited. And so it seems that the line of Mitsuhama is in danger of coming to an end. Its once-considerable estates have withered, not so much through Yaman’s own doing but the discrimination she suffers from as a female running a noble house.

Tahi Kurita Daimyo of House Kurita, head of the Hemocrat party, and Archchancellor of the Eblanese Diet. House Kurita, in particular Tahi, has a reputation for using new methods to promote traditional goals. Although a stalwart advocate of traditional Eblanese values, Tahi has not hesitated to play the political game in the Diet or to take advantage of the noble house’s tax free status by modernizing his lands. A supporter of militarization.

Nauquan Kurita Tahi’s son and heir apparent. Nauquan is also the Deputy for Military Affairs, making him the second-in-command of EKAF. Nauquan is also responsible for commanding the private army of House Kurita, the Junsui no Rikugun, or force of purity. Nauquan is even more concerned with preserving the purity of the Eblanese spirit than his father. He openly covets the post of Shogun. One of the most militaristic of any leading figure in Eblan.

Tiberius Shiawese The current Shogun, and daimyo of House Shiawese. A sly old fox, considered borderline senile by his detractors. Served in the Grand Army. Slightly concerned about the country’s current course for war, but too loyal to say so. His name comes from what his Tasnican tutor called him when he was young.

Sakura Shiawese The daughter of Tiberius, Sakura had a rough time as an ambitious woman in a country that does not tolerate ambitious women well. She had an interest in politics, and she was tutored by a foreigner. The only way it seemed she could be successful was to get out of Eblan, and so she entered the country’s diplomatic corps. It is doubtful she would have received even a fair chance if not for her noble blood, however she rose up through the ranks and now has one of the most prestigious posts as the head of Eblan’s Alliance Congress delegation. One of the most vocal proponents of the New Peace and the need for reform in GACA, Sakura shocked the world by calling for a fifty percent reduction in the Grand Army’s budget. The savings from the budget reduction have been used in a variety of projects from disaster relief to health aid.

Isobishi Hanwerker Head of the New Horizon party, Eblan’s largest opposition party, modeled on the Tasnican Conservatives. Isobishi is the only non-Xsian member of the Diet, and he sticks out during the Diet meetings. He is, after all, the descendent of immigrants, the first of his family to qualify for citizenship. An outspoken proponent of ending the Provisional system with a more fair immigration system; he realizes this will necessitate cutting the welfare state, but to him liberty is more important. Hanwerker is the only major party leader to question the policy of militarism.

Izumi Kenzeburo Head of the Party of Democratic Socialism, Eblan’s second largest opposition party. The PDS are supporters of a large welfare state. Kenzeburo is himself an ex-college professor and writer. The PDS supports improving conditions for the Provisionals, but are not as ardent as the New Horizon party. The PDS is considered more likely to work the Hemocrats than New Horizon. The PDS feels it cannot oppose Edge’s anticommunist policies because they are worried about looking like the communists themselves.

Yue Okusan Crazy and beautiful, Yue Okusan is one of the most powerful oyabun in the Yakuza crime syndicate. The pyra trade has been very good to her. She has a personal cadre of powerful enforcers known as the 893 Oni which she uses to enforce her will on lesser organized crime groups. Okusan plans to build the Yakuza into a webwide crime syndicate.

Mr. Bunraku A yakuza oyabun, recently tasked with running yakuza operations on the nearby Tasnican colony of Simmons (Crystal II). Simmons is an important smuggler haven and a source for many of the illicit substances the yakuza deal in. Real name unknown; 'Mr. Bunraku' is a common yakuza alias.

Tassadar Zakarum Master of the Holy Armies of the Paladins Templar. Most Templar retain the citizenship of their country of origin, and are considered guests of the King. Tassadar looks like a fragile old man, but he is one of the most powerful of the order. The Templar are virtually a self-contained nation; Tassadar is the one mainly responsible for dealing with the political questions of the order.

Tor Stonecliff Not only a provisional but a Mul, Tor has a lot of discrimination against him. However, he did sign up to serve in EKAF’s Mobile Corps, and is considered to be the best mecha pilot in the corps. He was one of the handful of Eblanese pilots to receive a Kuat Erinyes Walker, a mecha reserved only for the best pilots. Tor hopes to prove his loyalty and worthiness to the King.

Joel Gilneas Joel Gilneas is a Provisional, the son of a refugee from Baron. His father died shortly after his arrival in this country, and Joel’s brother Mike has been in and out of prison as a petty criminal and participating in underground gambling rackets. Joel, on the other hand, got a job in a foreign-owned factory and worked his way up. His record and good labor relations was so impressive that Kuat CEO Damien Gavalian took the unprecedented step of naming a Vice President of Kuat Aerospace. (Gavalian, for the most part, runs the Aerospace and Arms divisions directly; this is a large delegation.) Gilneas’s main task is to aid in the construction of the large shipyards in the Crystal dimension. Joel’s post as Vice President, with its stock options, make’s him Eblan’s richest man—but he is still a Provisional.

Kiyomori Mayonaka Daimyo of House Mayonaka, another large and powerful Eblanese noble house. House Mayonaka has a historic rivalry with House Kurita, however there are rumors that the two houses may have a marriage in the works for an alliance. Mayonaka’s lands stretch in the Eblan’s Naga Desert. Some claim that House Mayonaka is associated with mysterious dark magics. Avid biwa player.

Hotoke Mayonaka The lady of House Mayonaka.

Daimaru Master ninja in service to House Mayonaka.

Cities

Eblana Royale “The Heart of Things” Eblan’s capital. Eblana Royale is a large city with lots of distinct ancient Xsian architecture. The city is built around the King’s palace, which is a massive building from the days when it was common to build caslte-cities in Crystal. The King’s palace (also called Kokkoro, “the heart of things”) can house tens of thousands of people. The Diet building is also located here. This is the city where the Templar now make their home.

Kosaka Large port city on Eblan’s west cost. Has a reputation as a very strange place.

Luthien “Crystalport” A major port on Eblan’s southern coast. A convergence of trade for people outside the dimension, Eblan, and the dwarfs. The nearby shoals make this a good harbor. The Kriegsnavee has large facilities here. Also important for fishing.

Mikage Large manufacturing city in northeastern Eblan. Mikage is home to an active underground gambling and prostitution racket, run by the Yakuza. The beginnings of an incipient Eblanese labor movement can be found in Mikage.

Sabakshiro A city in Eblan’s desert region, which covers the central eastern part of the country. This is the historical fiefdom of House Mayonaka.

Hope “The Slums of the Kingdom” The largest city in Crystal, and also one of the poorest, populated by impoverished Provisionals. Originally little more than a massive collection of tent towns, Hope has grown into a massive and ugly shantytown. There is a large criminal element, here. Large sections of the city are slums that lack basic services like water and electricity. There are periodic attempts by the government to improve conditions in Hope, and there are in fact several public housing projects. Some have argued that this has stymied the city’s natural development. Hope is a sprawl all along the southwestern to Midwestern coast of the country.

Cascuraka Deep in the Eblanese interior, historical fiefdom of House Kurita.

Nairobum “Success Stories” Hope grew out of the refugee tent cities, and Nairobum grw out of the factories Damien Gavalian built. Today, Nairbum is a sparkling jewel on Eblan’s west coast. The majority of the population are Provisionals, but unlike in Hope, they have good paying jobs. Nairobum more closely resembles a Tasnican city than an Eblanese city. Immigrants in Hope want to work their way up to Nairobum. This city provides the country with a healthy dose of economic dynamism.